Hub construction for a film spool



F iG 2.

STEPHEN M. TUCKER Nov. 14, 1939. s. M. TUCKER HUB CONSTRUCTION FOR A FILM SPOOL Filed Jan. 21, 1937 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 nun CONSTRUCTION FOR A m sroor.

' Stephen M. Tucker, Rochester, N. Y., assignorto Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a

corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1937, Serial No. 121,477

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a hub con struction fora photographic film spool which is suitable for encasement within a light-tight film retort for use in small cameras.

5 It has already been proposed to fasten the trailer end of a film strip to the spool hub .by clamping the same between the interior of the hub and an inserted plug which may be of soft wood or which maybe a resilient metallic member,

10 one end of the insert being formed-so as to be engaged by the winding key ofthe camera. How

ever, the inserted plug shouldbe susceptible of ready removal for detachment of the trailer end of the film strip from the spool core.

l5 1 The'primary object of the present invention is the provision of a hub construction in which the film strip is clamped betweenthe hollowtube of the spool and a core therein and in which the core may be readily removedor inserted.

A further object of the invention is the provision, on such .an insertable core of a clutch member which facilitates insertion and rotation of the core into proper position.

To these and other ends, the invention consists 25 of certain parts andcombinations of parts, all

of which will be hereinafter described; the novel features being pointed out in the appended claim. Reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters desig-' 40 Fig. 4 is also a perspective view of the assembledspool and core, after the core has been rotated to clamp'the film strip, part of, the spool tube being cut away to show the extension on'the core abutting the embossing on the tube of the Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-section through the assembled tube and core taken on the oi Fig.6 is a transverse cross-section at... on the line H of Fig. 4 and showing the end of the film strip clamped between the-tube and the core;

' Jigs 'l is a transverse cross-section taken through'oneend'o! the spool onthe line 1-1 of 55 158.4 and illustrates theabutment .oi the exten sion on the core against the embossing in the hollow tubef the film spool.

The film spool in general is of conventional construction and comprises a hollow tube II which is provided with a film slot II. A flange l2 having a collar I3 is pressedonto oneend of the tube I 0, while the flange M having a collar i5 is pressed onto the other end of tube I 0 but is spaced from that end of the tube l0 a distance greater than the flange I2 is spaced from the other end 10 of the tube. A projection it, extends into the interior of hollow tube It and may comprise an embossing formed in the thin sheet material of said I hollow tube Ill.

A hollow core I! comprises a cylindrical body portion l8 which is provided with a film slot It. A clutch? member is provided 'at one end of the hollow core l1 andmay be formed from two fiat portions integral with the body portion 18.

A'portion or extensio 2| co-operates with the 20 projection or embossing II in the hollow tube It in a manner which will be described hereinafter and which does not in any respect hamper the removal of the core I! from the tube l0.

Theassemoly of the spool hub according to the invention will now bedesci ibed. First, the hollow core I1 is inserted into the hollow tube II with the film slot IS in core II in registry with the film slot l I in tube It, see Fig. 5. The clutch member 20 will be of considerable assistance in so inserting said core l1 into the tube Ill. A narrowed portion 220i the film strip F is then inserted into the film slots II and I9, as also shown in Fig. 5. It should .be noted that, with film slots II and I! in registry, the portion or extension 2| of the core 5 "passes beyond the projection or embossing I, as shown in Fig. 3, and theend of body portion ll abuts against theside of projection I i, as also .shown in Fig. 3, to limit the extent oi the axial insertion of the core l'l. d 40 "The hollow core I! isthen rotated to clamp the narrowed portion "22 of the film F between the tube and core. As shown by way 0! example only,

such rotation of the core I! may be counter-clockwise with respect to the tube l0 so that the narrowed portion 22 ot the film is interleaved between the core "and tube Ill, see Fig. 6. In this 'manner the-end of the film F is frietion'ally, 1 clamped between core I! and tube It to fasten the end of the film to the spool in the manner rei clockwise rotation of the core l lwith'respect to thetube ,lll-is continued until the other side of the portion or extension It of'the core I! abuts againstthe'projection or 'l.

It should be remembered that the iilm 1' is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion and that all of these operations for assembly of the tube and core must be performed in a darkroom. After exposure, the fllm is rewound upon thev hollow tube Ill. Detachment of the film from the spool must also be accomplishedin a darkroom and it is-pre-eminently necessary that the core ll be susceptible of ready removal. The lack of any inter-engagement between the portion or extension 21 and projection or embossing [6 permits the cor I! to be grasped at the clutch member 20 and to be axially withdrawn from the tube ll irrespective of its relative angular position therein.

The hub construction disclosed herein is susceptible of many variations without departing from the scope of the invention so that the present illustration and description is only by way of example, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim which follows.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent 0! the United States and what I claim is:

In a photographic film spool, the combination with a hollow tube having a pair of spaced flanges 'and provided with a fllm slot, and a hollow core also provided with a 111m slot which may register with the slot in said tube and adapted irictionally to fit into said tube, and a clutch member at one end of said core for facilitating rotation of said core within-said tube to clamp a film strip between said tube and core,-oi an embossing formed in and extending into said tube near one end thereof and located to abut only the end of said core to limit only axial insertion thereof only after said clutch member is within said tube, and an extension on and extending from the end of said core for merely abutting said projection and limiting relative rotation, but not relative axial movement, between said tube and core only STEPHEN M. TUCKER. 

